telephone wires

Telephone wires

Every time it rains in Vellore, the electricity goes off. I thought it was because the rain some how seeped into transformers, or the wind did something to the wires. Later I discovered that it was because the electricity board (EB) workers turn off the power. I don’t really understand the logic of that! Of course once the power is off they will not pick up the phone or respond to queries.

“We can’t go out its raining!!’’

(They seem not to have heard of umbrellas or raincoats).

Of late along with the electricity quite often the telephones also do not work. This means that you cannot call the EB to find out when power will be restored. You could use a cell phone to call, but the EB has a land line which inexplicably is off. Makes me think the whole thing is a conspiracy between the EB and the telephone workers.

India is reeling (we in Vellore more so) under the worst heat wave in 20 years. (Every year they say that but each year does seem worse than the one  before)! After three days (and nights) of scorching heat, we had an unexpected thunderstorm. The sky darkenred and hailstones the size of ping pong balls fell every where. They fell on my car too and dented eh roof! It was a welcome respite ---but the power and phone went off.

My generator kicked in, I had lights and fans. My cellphone worked and my “mifi” provided wifi. Most of the neighbourhood was in pitch darkness with a except for a few emergency lights.

The rain stopped, the electricity returned but the phone was still inexplicably dead. A day later I asked a neighbor does your phone work?”

“No “ he said, ”have you not heard?”

Apparently, as soon as the rains stopped a JCB (a large earth moving tractor) came and dug the wet ground . After making a gaping hole, it was driven 200 meters down the road. It dug there again. By this time an interested crowd gathered. The local tea shop did a brisk business as people hung around drinking tea and discussing earth moving. Two men supervising the JCB started to remove the insulated copper telephone cables. They were heavy, so a few able bodied by standers helped. They loaded the cables on the back of a truck  and drove away. The JCB operator strutted around like a hero. He demonstrated the use of the front and back shovels. He gave a couple of boys a joy ride before he also left.

The government hospital is further down the same highway. As their phones and internet stopped working for more than twenty four hours, they complained bitterly and vociferously. ( The rest of us accepted it as our fate, A inescapable part of life in India!)

The telephone exchange personnel came out to investigate. They found that 200 meters of expensive copper cable had been stolen. With no wires, how could the telephones work?

The police arrived and questioned the tea shop owner. He noticed the logo on the side of the JCB n machine and provided info. The police went to the contractors office.

“I was hired to dig the holes,” he protested, “I sent my machine and driver. They wanted the machines early in the morning so they paid extra. They tipped the driver generously too.

“Who are they?” Asked the irate police inspector.

The driver said, “They were officials from the telephone department.”

“Have you ever heard of telephone department staff getting up at 5AM?” Shouted the inspector.

“No,” said the driver, “I thought some one paid them a bribe---. Some important person who needed his phone to work—”

Our lines are working again. The entire stretch had to be re-laid but because of the government hospital it was done.